Imaginary Portraits by Walter Pater

Book Description

Out of print for decades, the enchanting classics in this new edition will be welcomed by teachers and students of literature, art history, and aesthetics. Written by an esteemed nineteenth-century scholar of Renaissance art and literature, the "imaginary portraits" are fictionalized accounts of historic figures, with the search for a new aesthetic as the common thread.The Child in the House, out of print since 1904, appears in this treasured new edition, along with Gaston de Latour, an unfinished novel."

Studies in the History of the Renaissance is a highly influential defence of aestheticism. Pater redefined the practice of criticism through his readings of some of the paintings, sculptures, and poems of the Renaissance, and shocked contemporaries for sponsoring a hedonistic ethic with his infamous 'Conclusion'.

Pater's graceful essays discuss the achievements of Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and other artists. The book concludes with an uncompromising advocacy of hedonism, urging readers to experience life as fully as possible.

Author Biography - Walter Pater

Walter Pater (1839-1894) was an essayist, critic, and Oxford don. Renowned for his study of aesthetic poetry and his essays on the history of the Renaissance, he was a central figure in the Aesthetic movement that swept England at the end of the nineteenth century.

For every $20 you spend on books, you will receive $1 in Boomerang Bucks loyalty dollars. You can use your Boomerang Bucks as a credit towards a future purchase from Boomerang Books. Note that you must be a Member (free to sign up) and that conditions do apply.